Stockport disability charity plans £45m transformation - but needs to sell greenbelt land to fund it

Illustrative masterplan of Seashell Trust's proposals. The residential development area is in light brown to the north of the campus

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A leading charity which provides care and education for profoundly disabled youngsters has submitted proposals for a £45m transformation of its campus in Stockport .

But plans to fund the redevelopment of Seashell Trust’s centre in Cheadle Hulme through the sale of greenbelt land have raised concerns.

The trust wants to build a ‘national centre of excellence’ featuring a state-of-the-art school, family support services and high quality recreational facilities.

The current campus was built solely for deaf pupils in the 1950s but is now home to some of the most severely disabled young people in the UK.

The charity says its outdated buildings can’t be renovated any further and a full redevelopment of the site is now essential.

In order to fund the scheme it has applied for outline planning permission for up to 325 new homes on its land between Wilmslow Road and the A34 at Heald Green .

Gwen Carr, chair of Seashell Trust , said: “We have no access to significant levels of government capital funding initiatives and the charity needs to raise the majority of investment itself.

“The imperative for the new facilities means the time required to raise such sums ourselves is limited and in order to meet the shortfall the trust needs to look at the role other assets, including its land, can play.”

Nigel Hersee of Save Heald Green Green Belt said: “It’s not really about the development - no one is going to go up against the Seashell Trust as they do laudable work - it’s the way they are going about raising the money. If you’re cynical you could say it’s a bit opportunistic.

“A developer could say you’re sitting on a piece of land worth millions why not sell it to me?

“The Rate Payers have fought to keep this piece of greenbelt because without it Heald Green and Handforth become one.”

He continued: “What leaves a bad taste about the whole thing is it’s been pushed forward without any real consultation or community engagement.”

And Gareth Bond from Heald Green added: “My feeling is it should be centrally funded at government level.

"It’s very sad they’ve had to resort to turning greenbelt land over for development when enough brownfield sites exist. I’m not unsympathetic but I think the reason of 30 per cent affordable housing isn’t a good excuse to overturn greenbelt land.”

Cheadle MP Mary Robinson said: “I fully appreciate the desire of the trustees to modernise and improve the school’s facilities and maintain an exceptional standard of care and education for its pupils.

"To assist with this I facilitated meetings between the Seashell Trust and the Department for Education about the funding streams open to them, and I am disappointed that this has not led to more positive progress on different options yet.

"Whilst I will do whatever I can to support Seashell Trust, should the planning application gain approval it will cause significant loss of green belt and, from the outset, I have been clear in my view that this green belt land should continue to be protected.”